Horsemen Trials, A Fantasy Story about Horses

Chapter 7

After I had walked a few laps Mr. Blair signaled for Rejem to halt. He came up to me. "You're holding the reins a bit too stiffly. Rejem is tossing his head because you won't give with your hands, thus causing him to bang against the bit when he goes forward."

I nodded. "Okay..."

Mr. Blair adjusted my hand position slightly. "You're also clenching your fist slightly and turning your hands in. Imagine that there are two baby birds in your hands. If you squeeze too hard you hurt them. If you turn your hands in, they knock their heads together!"

I snorted with mirth. The group on the fence chuckled. But we all knew that despite it being odd or funny, it could actually be effective.

With that Rejem started walking again. Mr. Blair kept giving me pointers. I began to wonder if I was really as good a rider as I thought I was. I felt like a rank beginner!

"I'm going to ask him to trot," called out Mr. Blair. I nodded. Mr. Blair clicked and Rejem sprang into trot. I immediately started posting. I realized I was on the wrong diagonal and switched.

"Tighten your core and let your leg swing back slightly," encouraged Mr. Blair. "Pretend there's a string attached to your stomach that's pulling you up and down."

I did as he said and immediately felt a change.

When Mr. Blair clucked Rejem into canter he instructed me to hold the front of the saddle with one hand and the cantle with the other. This, he said, would help me sit deeper in the saddle and follow Rejem's motion better.

It felt weird to be twisted that way, but he was right, it did help me sit deeper. Rejem's canter was nice and smooth. "Heels down!" called Mr. Blair.

As I took back Destiny's rope I thought about my ride. Mr. Blair and his mouse-like voice had corrected a lot about me and made me question my ability as a rider. I didn't know if that was good or bad.

Norah was next. She looked a bit sacred but she walked up to Rejem and mounted with more grace than I did. Her stirrups were the same length as mine.

So it went on until all the people on the fence had had their turn. One person left afterwards, offended that Mr. Blair's forthrightness had stomped on his pride. He'd said the man would need to go back the very basics if he wanted to truly ride well.

After the last person had stepped off Rejem Mr. Blair turned to us. "Now, I'm going to take a guess and say that some of you, if not all of you, now feel like terrible riders. If not terrible, then at least you probably feel like your not as good as you thought you were."

There was a series of bobbing heads along the fence. Mine bobbed with them. I had definitely felt challenged.

"That's good," said Mr. Blair. "It means you recognize you have room to change. Don't be too discouraged, you can and you will be better riders by the end of the Horsemen Trials."

He turned to Rejem and began to untack him, all the while still talking. "Of course I will be hosting more clinics during the Horsemen Trials. But I have another idea for you." He walked around to the other side of Rejem to undo that side of the girth. But we could still, somehow, hear his low voice.

"I see the potential in all of you to be good riders, if you're willing to humble yourselves and to learn. I want to teach you. So, if you're willing, I can give lessons to you." He walked back around the left and pulled the saddle off.

"It's up to you. But I must warn you: this does not guarantee you success. In fact, it may do the exact opposite." He walked towards the fence with the saddle in his arms, Rejem following behind.

"I do not train the way most people do nowadays. Your horse may end up being farther behind than your competitors. But, this I guarantee: your horse, at whatever level it's at, will excel. It will be sound, and happy to do it's work."

He laid the saddle down on the fence and turned to look at us. "I'm not necessarily aiming to make you horsemen as this competition defines it. But rather to make you horsemen as the horse defines it."

There was silence on the fence. Then Norah raised her hand slowly. "Yes Norah?"

"Is it free Mr. Blair? I couldn't afford to pay you," she said quietly.

"Yes, Norah, it is. My home is just outside of town, you bring your horse and tack there. That's all that's needed," responded Mr. Blair.

Norah gave him a small smile. "Thank you Mr. Blair."

Mr. Blair looked at the fence. "Anyone else want to join us?"

I slowly stuck my hand up. "I'll come." I was still uncertain about his training methods. After all, I wanted to win. But, on the other hand, I didn't like Mr. Bellton, and I wasn't about to miss an opportunity for free instruction.

"Torin!" I called out, waving my hand. What was he doing on the road?

He lifted his head up and saw me. "Hey Iris!"

"What are you doing? Do mother and father know you're out here? What's in the wagon?" I pummeled him with questions.

He stopped pulling the wagon behind him. "You know, I think you could show a little gratitude to the guy who brought your saddle."

A grin broke out on my face. "You brought me my saddle?"

"Yep, and your bridle," he said happily. I moved to peek around him at the wagon but he shifted to block my view. "Say thank you first," he demanded.

I glared at him, not at all amused. "Fine. Thank you Torin for bringing my saddle and being a little twerp."

With that I ducked around him and looked into the wagon. Sure enough, it was my walnut colored saddle and matching bridle, along with the girth. I'd saved up for these all last year, and got them a month before the Horsemen Trials started.

I grinned and picked it up, throwing the bridle and girth over my shoulder. A saddle pad was beneath the saddle and I grabbed it too. I turned back to Torin.

"Thanks Torin, you're the best." Then my brow furrowed. "Do mom and dad know what you're doing?"

He snorted. "You're such a worry wart Iris. Of course they do. Mom even packed us a snack," he said, patting the satchel at his side. "Now, I want to see what horse you picked out. Come on, show me."

I was tempted to make him wait a bit longer but decided not to torture him anymore, seeing as how he had brought me my saddle.